Wigan escaped in 2011 and 2012; Aston Villa defied the odds in 2013; Sunderland did it in 2014; and Leicester City pulled off an unlikely feat last yearBy Martin Laurence for WhoScored?,allotment of the Guardian Sport NetworkWith five of the Premier League’s bottom seven clubs suffering defeats at the weekend and Newcastle United out of action, opportunities were missed in the battle against the drop. We are reaching the point in the season when a team generally strings together a dash of results to ensure their survival, and but as yet no club has stepped up. Bournemouth and Swansea have both enjoyed mini revivals,but they will be hoping their positive dash of results haven’t approach too soon as they have each picked up just one point from the last nine available.
In each of the last five seasons there has been significant movement at the bottom of the table at this point in the year. You have to go back to the 2009-10 season to find the last time the bottom three sides at the beginning of March were all relegated (Portsmouth, Hull City and Burnley).
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Source: theguardian.com